Second Kiss
by fangiosfriend
Summary: What happened after the first kiss on the trip to Bespin? Now a chapter story and an M just to be sure.
1. Chapter 1

Han grabbed a rag and attempted to scrub some of the ingrained grime off his hands. It was a hopeless cause. The Falcon was a greasy old girl. Working down in the shadowy recesses of his first love always gave him a sense of peace and purpose. And it was quiet. His mind switched off as circuits and wires took over.

Han sat up and rolled his stiff shoulders. Not right now though. A certain dark eyed princess kept straying into his thoughts. Just knowing she was somewhere on his ship was enough to keep breaking his mood and make him think more…. carnally. _How can one fleeting kiss with a prissy little politician throw me so much? Just what is it about her that gets under my skin? _

Gods he loved arguing with her. And the last sparring match they had was a beauty. Barbs had flown back and forth like blaster shots. Eyes lit up with fire. Leia triumphantly slipping in the last word. A Wookie snorting at Han's expression as the door slammed behind her. End of undiplomatic discussion.

It was the only time Han got to see the human side of such an enigma. For someone so young she was always so smooth, so closed. This was why, he reflected, he baited her. She had to let off steam somehow. Han caught himself grinning. There were other, even more enjoyable ways…

"Han? You down there?"

A decidedly feminine voice echoed and bounced around the bulkheads from above. Han stood up in the cramped access passage and dropped the forgotten rag almost guilty. _Since when do hardened ex-smugglers daydream?_

"Miss my company already Princess?"

"Hardly. Get up here will you?"

_Hmm, round two so soon? _"Nah. You come here."

"Just do it will you?"

"What's the hurry? Got a memo from your rebel committee reminding you to be a right royal pain in my arse for the second time today?" _There. That should get the ball rolling. _

A huff from above. "This hydro spanner is the wrong size. Bring your tools up."

"Listen Your Royal Bossiness, if you need my_ tools_ that badly – you come down to me."

Silence. Then a long exasperated sigh. "Why do you have to make things so difficult?"

_Because you like it? Because I like it? Because it's the closest I can get you to without having you in my arms and…. ah, well yes, already done that. _ _Somewhat._

"Where's the fun in following orders? You should try it sometime."

A pair of scuffed boots appeared at end of the passage above him. _Huh. She has such small feet._

Leia crouched down and rested her elbows on her knees. Her eyes unsuccessfully searched for his in the darkness below. "Captain Solo?"

_So we're back to calling me Captain now are we? _

"Keep your hair on, I'm just finishing up. Why don't you come down and give me hand Sweetheart?"

Another sigh. She did that a lot around him.

"Only if you stop calling me Sweetheart."

Han felt his lip curl as he watched Leia sit and then swing her legs over and into to the inner bowels of the ship. Even when doing something as mundane as lowering herself into a 6foot hole, she was graceful and lithe. _She's looking better._

The enforced restrictions of regular meals, sleep and repairs on the Falcon during their long trip to Bespin had filled out her face and - Han swallowed slightly - figure, nicely. The smudges of weariness and strain that were a constant presence when they were hidden on Hoth had faded from under her eyes. Deep space travel suited Leia.

There was a dull metallic thud and both boots were now on his level. She was wearing his favourite outfit. An old, stained shirt of his with the sleeves rolled up several times, her snow pants and boots. Glossy dark hair parted and pulled back neatly into a loose braid, a few tendrils escaping to fall around her pretty face, framing her lips.

There was a slight spring in her step. _She's happier too. So am I. I've never felt so…_

"Where are you? I can't see a thing down here."

Han had touched that face, kissed those lips and held that small body close to his. But only briefly. Too briefly. And she'd decided to pretend it never happened. He leaned against a pipe and watched her slowly stride towards him, peering through the darkness.

"Keep coming."

Leia finally spotted him and stopped short, hands on hips.

"Happy making me climb all the way down here, Hotshot? How can you work in the dark like this? I've fixed the - Umph!"

Han had slipped an arm around Leia's waist and pulled her close.

_I want her. I want her to want me. I've waited long enough. I want to kiss her and kiss her and then… well. _

"What the_ hell_ are you doing?'

"Calm down. I was just about to show you!"

"What does this – Umph!"

Han cut her off again – this time with his kiss. It was quickly becoming how they would always do this. But it was vastly different from their first kiss, which had been all about trembling, drawn out anticipation and beginnings. This one was about unleashing what Han hoped they were both feeling right now. Intense frustration, excruciating longing and releasing a hell of a lot of pent up tension. Three years worth.

After an initial freezing and endearingly half-hearted squeak on Leia's behalf, her mouth softened and they melded together. Their arms winding up and around one another.

Han felt his mind shatter with pure pleasure. Kissing Leia was exceptionally perfect. Her lusciously yielding lips were burning into his. The womanly softness of her body was pressing into all the right places. She was so warm and so…Leia. He could get drunk on this – Essence Of Leia.

The kiss escalated rapidly. Their breaths were coming faster and synchronised with sheer delight, wet heat and frantic need. Han's hands traced Leia's tiny waist, her hips and eventually, _Oh yes..._ the sweet smooth curves of her backside and thighs. He drew her shirt up and dipped his hands under it, running them over the silkiest most sensual skin, hissing with barely restrained lust, slanting his lips again and again across her incredibly addictive lips. He felt his control slip further as her tongue tentatively traced his. Necessity forced Han to finally lift his face and they both took a deep, ragged breath and locked eyes. Mutually stunned by what had just happened.

Suddenly, Leia pushed herself away with a slight groan and took a step back, touching her fingers to her mouth. She looked almost shocked. Her chest rising and falling unsteadily, her eyes anxiously flicking to and away from Han's. He watched her mouth open to protest and he pushed back a rush of anger.

No more denying what they were feeling! From the moment they met – this was inevitable. That wasn't a chaste kiss. Far from it - and he wanted more. So did she.

"Don't you dare. Come back here." His command was raw and harsh with need.

Leia's eyes snapped back to his and she unconsciously licked her lips. _Oh Gods… she's going to kill me. _

Han took another sharp breath and tried to calm himself.

"Sweetheart…."

Leia's chin turned up and she raised an eyebrow. THIS was why he loved her_._ Even when they were losing themselves in one another, she still had the sassy gumption to put him back in his place. Han bit back a grin. _What a woman!_ Honest. He must be honest. She deserved nothing less.

"Leia…let me show you how I feel about you."

There was an agonising pause while she took this in. "How you feel?"

"Yeah." He kept his eyes pinned to her face trying to catch her eye. _Come on darling. Trust me and what we have here. _She was so close but so far away.

"Han… I...," She paused again, but this time she looked up and directly at him. _Into_ him. In the silence of her regard, Han had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable. Then he heard a whispered, "Okay."

"Okay. You - what? " He ran a hand roughly through his hair in confusion. Surely it couldn't be that simple?

This time, she was the one who shut his mouth, realising he must look embarrassingly gobsmacked.

_Smooth going Solo_.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

She didn't say this with regal princess bravado. She said it calmly - as Leia_._ Han was clueless to what it was that convinced her, but he'd take it and think about it later. He let out a sigh of relief.

_Thank Gods_.

Han's heart started beating again as he yanked her back where she belonged. That first taste had only made him hungrier. There was a feast before him and there would be no halt to the proceedings from now on. She said yes!

_Leia. Oh Leia._ He ran his lips down her neck and over the delicate soft skin of her collarbone while he urgently tugged her hair free from its bindings. As it tumbled around them in one luxurious long sheet, he swept shaking hands up underneath the shirt again to graze his thumbs just under her breasts. She shuddered in response. _So beautiful. Too much. And yet, not enough._

He pulled the shirt up and over her head and the beautiful lines of her torso were revealed in all their glory, ribbons of hair spilling over white shoulders. As Han snaked his arm back around her slim waistline, his breath hitched as she quite deliberately tilted her head and arched her back in sultry surrender, holding his eyes to hers. Han felt a primal growl escape from his throat.

He slowly trailed a line with the back of a finger, his eyes following, down the side of her neck, across and between full cups of her simple white bra and then over her softly rounded stomach. Han discovered, that no matter how badly he wanted Leia, he also had the strongest compulsion to savour her. This woman pulled a previously unknown passionate tenderness from him._ It's about what I give._

Leia was now humming with want and this time she wasn't holding back. She reached out and impatiently pulled him free from his own shirt, carelessly dropping it to one side and then quickly gliding small hands over his now bare and well-built chest, arms and back. They both quietly moaned when skin finally pressed against skin and they shared another long, deep and drugging embrace, Han's hand tangled in her hair, the other caressing a firm breast.

_More_. With a grunt, Han lifted Leia, his hands now cupping her backside, her legs automatically circling his waist as he pushed her back to the bulkhead wall. Her mouth was now above his. She angled it towards him in an unspoken invitation, her gaze full of euphoric need, adoring the beloved face that was looking up at hers from amongst the shadows.

She was everything in opposite. Petite but powerful. Feminine but forceful. Innocent, but older than her years. She was his, he realised, body and soul. And he was hers.

Han smiled ironically. _Who would've thought I could be such a romantic sap? _

"Ah Leia," he whispered hotly into the pink shell of her ear, tracing it with the tip of his tongue, "This will be good, my darling. So good."

And he kissed her again.


	2. Chapter 2

Well – it looks like I'm on a roll.

This addition is for the lovely people who took the time to review my fledgling beginnings : ArwenSolo, Andromakhe, Diz, disneyand-jetix, MrsScruffyNerfherder, starlockedst, Nurs3Gir1, LongLivetheClones, Amara Z, robertnielsen, StatszGrandma57 and "Guest" as well as all who added me to their favourites, follows or alerts.

Should have done this before: _I don't own Leia, Han, Chewie or Star Wars. Dammit. _

Part 2: Leia over analyses and then deliciously submits to the inevitable…

Here goes nothing:

Leia reached up awkwardly behind her and blindly felt for a hydro spanner. In faithful Falcon style, the panel she was replacing refused to cooperate. She struggled a few moments longer and then dropped the tool with a muttered sigh. She just couldn't … concentrate. Ever since that kiss. That heart stopping, amazing kiss, Leia hadn't been able to focus or think straight.

After what seemed like eons of legendary verbal hostilities, jam-packed with scorching insults, accusations and outright contempt with most of the Rebel Alliance constantly ducking for cover for the best part of 3 years, Han had gently held the soft palm of her hand, drawn them both close and tenderly kissed her, launching her renowned stoicism and cool equilibrium for a monumental loop.

Lying on her bunk in her cramped quarters, after Threepio unwittingly provided a distraction and escape route, she could scarcely believe it had happened. Although it lasted only a moment, it was…beautiful. He was beautiful. But it scared her as well. Without the timely interruption, would she have let him continue embracing her? Then what?

He was an exasperating, uncouth and preposterous braggart. He was also astonishingly kind, charmingly self-effacing and just too damned handsome for his own good. It was strangely comforting how he refused to treat her as anything but his equal – and a woman. Leia was always very aware of how female she felt around him. Han was the first man who made her forget she was a former senator and overworked leader and allowed her the luxury to be…who? It was all very confusing.

Now that they were confined to this claustrophobic tin can and crawling their way to Bespin, she had discovered with unease that she had nothing to hide behind. No orders, no paperwork, no meetings - no plans. Not even a change of clothes. It was just her, Han and a mostly absent Wookie, who had oddly volunteered to take every human sleep cycle shift. The kiss and sharing of close living spaces had brought everything unsettling about her and Han to the forefront. They were such polar opposites, in demeanour, stature and attitude, but that kiss said otherwise. That kiss said, "Yes!" And blow the consequences.

A permanent sense of thrilling agitation now haunted her as she slipped into a routine of eating, resting and manual labour. Whenever Han swaggered into her proximity it surged to an embarrassing intensity that was becoming more and more difficult to conceal. Despite this constant churning, she felt lighter than she had in years and she kept catching herself smiling at odd times.

Oh, he still riled her up. He was a master at veiled innuendo - pushing her buttons and carefully placed boundaries, but lately, on equal sides, it was more…affectionate. It was like they both no longer had their heart in it to access any real anger or dredge up enough poison to pitch. As if they were merely performing for one another. Recalling their most recent spat made Leia's lips twitch again. The expression on Han's face! The genuine chuckle of delight and amusement tugging at the side of his mouth as she victoriously strutted out of the cockpit made him look delectably boyish.

She'd waited for him to acknowledge the kiss, to try it again, even to make a random crass remark about it, but …nothing. He was so cocky and self-assured. Maybe this was what he often did with women and she was just one of a long line of convenient diversions? Leia couldn't bare to contemplate this. It was times like this she wished she had a mother growing up. Kissing a scruffy, albeit sexy ex-smuggler who simultaneously drove her mad was not something her strict upbringing and political training had prepared her for. So Leia waited and pretended. Her pride refused to allow her to do anything else.

_Sexy? Delectably boyish? Get a grip woman!_ In defiance she grabbed her useless spanner and attacked the panel one last time. The spanner slipped again and Leia threw it down with disgust._ Dammit_

She stood up and marched over to the hold.

"Han. You down there?" Actually, she knew precisely where he was located– her Han radar was perpetually honed, but she'd be damned giving him that satisfaction. She waited for his lazy drawl and wasn't disappointed.

"Miss me already Princes?"

How did he do that with his voice? It was like smoky velvet, consistently wrapped around a provocative remark. The names he sardonically bestowed upon her; Your Worship, Princess, Sweetheart, never failed to annoy, but she could listen to Han's voice all day.

Their words bantered back and forth, and they played their parts with aplomb like a well-oiled machine and before long, Leia found herself clambering down into the Falcon's cargo and mechanics hold. She really needed those hydro spanners, she reasoned.

It was quiet in the darkness and the various humming, haphazardly arranged machinery and wires made it difficult to orientate herself. She peered into the darkness, searching for Han's distinctly masculine frame.

"Where are you? I can't see a thing down here."

"Keep coming."

Leia vainly resisted a shiver. He had whispered his response like a caress. Emerging from the shadows it was extraordinarily intimate. Leia felt her face instantly flush as her feet drew her slowly along the access corridor towards the owner of that evocative voice. By now her sight had adjusted and she spotted him leaning casually against a metallic pipe looking like he'd just been out for stroll.

He's been watching me, Leia realized with another disturbing and rousing flush.

A dim light fell across one side of his face, elegantly outlining his exceedingly attractive profile and silhouette. A slim, belted hip was cocked against the pipe, his slightly rumpled shirt gaping open from the neck, a large hand rubbing lightly over his jaw. Han had long ago perfected a relaxed and careless air, but this time there was also a covert alertness and gleam to his eye.

It wasn't fair. Here he was nonchalantly sizing her up, when she was in a constant state of jumbled turmoil and her body was aching. Actually aching! _Oh, gods. He mustn't know_

When in doubt – attack and then strategically withdraw. Leia took a breath, jerked her chin up and threw herself into it as best could.

"Happy making me climb all the way down here, Hotshot? How can you work in the dark like this? I've fixed the - Umph!"

Leia found herself abruptly pressed against Han's firm, warm body. His arm wrapped tightly around the curve of her back and holding her hips up against his. Leia gasped in stunned surprise and then swallowed roughly. He was studying her with a hungry intensity that sent alarmingly pleasant shards of electricity up and down her spine. _He wants to kiss me. Again. _

Words of well-practiced protest automatically tumbled out and Leia prayed he would ignore them. Part of her had to know that the first kiss wasn't a fluke.

Mercifully ignoring her babble with a flippant retort, Han gave a sharp tug and closed the remaining distance, rapidly lowering his lips to hers and they were both, _finally_ silent, doing what they did best together - kissing. Quite urgently. Leia's heart immediately slammed into her chest.

Her body had betrayed her half-hearted protestations and she instantly and embarrassingly submitted to the warmest, most sensual and licentious kiss she had ever experienced. It felt astoundingly surreal but so very, very right.

Han was an expert and he wasn't holding back this time. Far from it. His devastating lips were tuned to every movement she made, pressing with just with the right amount of deadly precision and pressure, a thumb distractingly smoothing a possessive line along a cheek while his fingers stroked the back of her neck. When he opened his mouth and a warm, wet tongue touched hers, the dull ache flared into a ferocious stab of unadulterated want and she was elated to hear him let out an almost imperceptible groan of pleasure when her tongue touched back. _I did that. I made him feel that._

Then his wonderfully impatient hands were moving under her borrowed shirt. Effortlessly stroking her sensitive skin that tremulously responded with another overwhelming wave of heat and longing as his face dipped back for another greedy and blatantly lust filled kiss. Being consumed by this most masculine and virile of men who knew exactly what he was doing was almost overwhelming. Leia now knew what it felt to wallow and drown in desire and _… oh gods…oh Han… how did this happen so quickly? _

Han released her lips with a startling brusqueness. His gaze piercing as his lungs worked overtime and simultaneously with hers. They both stopped breathing as their eyes locked and held.

Their pause rudely yanked Leia back into glaring reality. She was in the cargo bay hold for crying out loud! And she was about to recklessly abandon everything she knew about herself with this man. A man who made no promises or declarations. And he was going to leave her as soon as they reached Bespin. _I can't do this… _

With a wrench that almost hurt, she stepped back and away, her lips still distractingly ablaze. _Look at him and you'll give in. Attack and withdraw. _

"Don't you dare! Come back here."

_What?_ What did he say? That voice wasn't Han's. There wasn't a trace of seduction, mockery or cynicism. He sounded like his life was about to be torn away from him and he had one chance to stop it.

Leia found her traitorous eyes swinging back to his. He gazed intently back at her, not even trying to hide the anxiety now clearly evident upon his face. Han drew in another breath, making a valiant attempt to recover his composure.

"Sweetheart…"

_Sweetheart? He calls me SWEETHEART after that kiss? _

She gave him her best eyebrow arch, and took a ridiculous amount of pleasure observing him carefully bite back what looked like a suspiciously delighted grin. He shifted his feet and tried again…

"Leia…let me show you how I feel about you."

_He feels something for me?_ His voice had remained disarmingly reverent and gentle, his eyes fixed determinedly upon hers. _Could he really care? _

"How you feel?"

"Yeah." Not a response that would inspire poetry, but it was truthful. Earnestly and flatteringly apprehensive. Waiting for her verdict.

Leia sighed in confusion. How could she explain this conflict spinning around inside of her? Make him understand when she didn't understand herself? She glanced down at the floor, and searched desperately for the words. She had to try. She owed him the truth as well.

"Han… I...," Her eyes jerked up again to his and she stopped and sucked in a breath.

Raw. Real. This was a man she'd never seen before. His strikingly expressive eyes were also layered with a fierce affection and that earthy gruff humour she'd always loved about him. _Loved?_

He was just… Han. Without the pretence. Wanting her, but holding back. Han _never_ held back. He stalked, targeted and took exactly what he coveted without an iota of hesitation or a by your leave.

_He's giving me the choice. He cares enough to risk not getting what he wants._

Leia felt a rush of unprecedented power. Her confidence welled up and washed over and around her. _He does care._

Before she could think twice, she whispered, "Okay" and found herself smirking as Han double taked and gaped at her, his mouth open in disbelief as he ran a rough hand through already tousled hair.

_Oh my darling. _He was suddenly, so very dear to her.

"You're sure?"

"Yes" _But you aren't for once - are you Hotshot_?

Leia felt a giggle bubbling up and threatening to escape. He looked like he's just shaken off a hallucination. He checked for any insincerity on her behalf, liked what he saw and then let out a long sigh of relief.

One lip tilted up and he took a short step towards her, eyes zeroing in and darkening. He threw her a highly suggestive leer as his arm snaked back around her waist taking very obvious, inordinate pleasure in quickly dragging her small frame back up and against his. Sexy, overly confident Han was back. Seduction mode set on high. Leia swallowed again, this time with eager anticipation. _Oh my…_

This time he wanted to explore first, heated lips gliding up, down and around her neck with maddening restraint, his hands cleverly tugging her hair free, gathering it up and bunching in his fists before letting it slip through his fingers. Leia immediately felt herself sinking back into a magnificently sensual haze. Everything fell away and her world became Han's hands and mouth doing wicked and wonderful things to her, skimming just under her breasts, teasing and tormenting. It was becoming more and more difficult to just keep up and breathe. Han never did anything in half measures.

As he lifted her shirt up and over her head, his eyes devouring what was revealed, she felt beautiful and cherished and free. And naughty…

_Sweetheart? I'll show him Sweetheart… _

Witnessing the typically blasé' Han become lured and hypnotised with mere tilt of the head and slight arch of her torso was absurdly gratifying. The erotic magnetism between them was now pulsing. When he ran a feather-light finger over her proud curves in awe, she felt like a goddess.

Leia stripped him of his shirt and touched all the places until now she had only imagined seeing. The sheer exquisiteness of his arms, back and chest was stunning and when his delicious skin and scent enveloped her, Leia groaned and thought her heart would stop beating with the overload of utter pleasure.

_Mine. _

Second-guessing and restraint had now long gone and they kissed ardently, again and again, as Han stroked her intimately and possessively. Marking her as his. The sensation of his hand urgently cupping and fondling her breast was exhilarating. But it wasn't enough. She wanted him to show her everything. Do everything. Make her shatter.

Moments after this thought, Leia felt Han's control snap. He lifted her with strong arms and exultantly held her high above him as she wound herself closely around his magnificent body.

He was worshipping her with his eyes. Oh how she loved him.

_I've always loved him. I just didn't know it._

Suddenly, Leia felt like crying. The love, adoration and insatiable thirst directed towards her, poured out of his very being, shining up and out of his face. It was profoundly moving.

_Oh Han. Why didn't I see this before? _

Leia shuddered again as he slowly, almost leisurely roved his heated gaze over her in silent, lascivious contemplation, deciding on the next step in the proceedings. He reached up and slowly drew her ear down and in line with his full lips.

Leia felt a pool of aching desire gather deep within her core as his hot breath and wet tongue claimed the outer rim. It exploded into white blazing heat as she heard him huskily whisper,

"Ah Leia…This will be good, my darling. So good."

And oh gods…it was.

Hope you enjoyed reading. Should I continue or let your imagination take over?


	3. Chapter 3: Han

Thanks for the reviews! I discovered that I'm not ready to write the 'scene in between' this one and the last just yet. (but stay tuned) I wanted to give our favorite couple some levity and relief from all that earlier tension.

So, here's my take of 'The Morning After'.

Han shows his softer side….

A rare and exquisite tranquility had descended and settled within the Falcon as it hurtled across space.

In the dark depths below her decks, Han adjusted his arms around Leia, and sighed luxuriously, savoring the sensation of her gloriously silky sweet skin melting into his own. Leia's small body was draped across his chest, strands of gleaming hair blanketing over and around them, her lovely face curled up into his neck. Hands, legs and arms entwined so closely it was difficult to perceive that they were two separate people. She was breathing so slowly and deeply that if he didn't feel a finger lazily tracing over the inside of his wrist he would have suspected she'd slipped into an intoxicated coma. He'd never seen her so…sated.

_Well, I guess I had something to do with that…_

Leia had surprised him in the nicest way possible. Although she was, at first any way, inexperienced and a mite uncertain, her ardency was unmatched. Once she let go and trusted him and what she was feeling, her wild beauty and fervor was astounding and evocatively erotic.

Surprised? Why wouldn't a divinely vehement and assertive woman be anything but this way? Although less practiced than he, she showed him a thing or two – and Han wasn't exactly a monk. She had innocently driven him to utter distraction and he almost embarrassingly lost it before they could really begin. THAT had never happened before. Han was always in control with women, but this delightfully petite and exceptional rebel leader had made him completely forget himself and revel in the wanton spell she wove.

After finding rather creative ways - that certainly weren't found in the maintenance manual - to use the surrounding circuit units as leverage and impromptu surfaces, they had slumped, carelessly exhausted to the floor, riding the shock waves of their extraordinary passion.

Han discovered his hunger could not be anywhere near abated that first wonderfully explosive time they came together. Although it took the edge off, he found himself reaching for her again, wanting her again almost straight away. And he actually wanted her more - not less.

He wanted to learn her form, from succulent top to tasty toe. Kiss and lick and nibble Leia until he knew her inside and out. He wanted to wring every bit of pleasure, every addictive moan, groan, gasp and whimper out of her before he took his own. He wanted to know her and have her know him.

Han could lie here in this cargo hold with her for the rest of his life, but the pins and needles numbing and spreading across various parts of anatomy said otherwise. Besides, Chewie's shift would start soon and they needed to pull themselves together enough to dress, crawl out of the cargo hold unseen and smuggle her into his quarters. There, he would relish being able to strip her bare for the second time, stretch them both out across his bed and start all over again.

What this woman did to him!

_It's because it's her. My Leia._

_My Leia indeed. _He roused himself and kissed the top of her head affectionately, his fingers running tenderly up the feminine curve of her back and resting on the nape of her neck.

"Come on Beautiful, you need to move. I can't feel my arse anymore"

He sensed her languid smile. "That's because your arse is now officially mine Solo." Her lips pressed against his neck as she spoke, her voice husky with spent passion.

"Hey, who gave you a Solo Special Arse Permit?"

"You did."

Han grinned down at her. "Got that right"

Large brown eyes filled with unabashed delight, grinned back. Then they frowned while scanning their site, suddenly bewildered.

"How did I get all my clothes off in this tiny passageway?"

Han rubbed a thumb reverently up and over her kiss-swollen lips, the other hand cupping around one of the smooth cheeks of her backside. "What can I say? You were a desperate woman,' he bragged.

Leia cocked her eyebrow and Han braced himself for a verbal onslaught. After all, he sort of deserved it after that retort. But he couldn't be a complete mushy fool all the time. Hey – he was Han. That was why she was with him now. Right?

There was a pause. Then Leia sat up quickly. Her arresting nude figure was highly hazardous for any future thoughts attempting to be formed. Han automatically reached out to roam hands over it, but Leia playfully caught them, and placed both large wrists together, his arms up and over either side of his head and against the panel just behind him. His torso was now bare and open for inspection. After their most recent marathon Han swore he wouldn't feel anything below his waist for the say, the next 4 sleep cycles, but her next word went straight to his groin.

"Stay."

_Hmm, I like a feisty Leia._

He watched in fascination as she slowly lowered her face towards his chest and released the tip of a pink tongue. Almost so he couldn't feel it, she ran it lightly over his slightly protruding nipple – never letting his eyes leave hers. Challenging him.

_Argh_…

She then blew on the bud that was now standing to attention and then delicately kissed it with finesse.

_Where did that noise come from? Oh… right…me._

"Do you want me to continue Captain?" she purred.

"Hmmm."

"What was that?" Another slow but agile flick.

_I'm going to kill her – after I kiss her senseless. _

"Yessssss" he hissed out with pathetically restrained composure.

Leia sat back unexpectedly, crossed her arms and deadpanned him with a classic 'Senator in a Meeting Face'.

"I'll check my schedule."

Han's jaw dropped. _What? Get back there! _

An impish smirk now graced Leia's face, "Who's desperate now? "

The Minx!

"Right Your Worship. Just remember – you asked for this."

Leia let out a girlish squeal as Han grabbed her tight around the waist and hoisted her backwards into his lap. Mercilessly devilish fingers tickled with skill along her ribs as his mouth opened and bit at the tender skin of her neck and behind an ear. Her laughter spilled out and joined his own.

"Han, Stop that! Ouch! No stop!" Leia pleaded between fits of mirth, hopeless wiggles and pants.

Han was determined to make her pay but couldn't help himself. Her gyrations were getting to him. Bites became nibbles, nibbles became licks, licks became caressing kisses as his hands began to pursue all the places he now knew she liked to be touched – and in exactly the right way. Han prided himself on always being a quick study.

Leia's laughter died and she turned her face and lips back to his. Her arms irresistibly drew around the back of his neck. Her body and breathing instantly synchronized with his. Was it always going to be this way – this voracious heated and magnetic attraction that would never be gratified no matter how they hard tried?

_Gods I love her… I love her. _

Han touched her lips with his as this remarkable revelation dawned upon him. It was as tender as their first kiss. His tentative gentleness taking them both by surprise.

_Of course you love her you idiot. The question is - How the hell do you tell her? _

A long low growl broke the moment as it reverberated distantly from the bulkhead above. They instinctively pulled away abruptly from one another. Chewie.

"Come on," said Han reaching for and trying to identify the owner of the nearest piece clothing in the gloom surrounding them, "Let's get out of here."

With a great deal of fumbling contortions and muffled chuckles and they helped each other dress as best they could despite their claustrophobic location.

After closing a couple of buttons on his shirt, Han skimmed Leia's slightly tangled hair back gently from her face and tucked it behind her ears.

He stopped at her expression. "What?"

For the first time in hours, she looked downright uncomfortable.

_Oh Gods. Don't tell me I'm going to hear the: 'This Was A Big Mistake' speech. Please no, no…_

She hesitated and then whispered. "I…. I couldn't find my…. a bit of my … personal effects."

_Thank you. _

Han smiled in amused relief and whispered back,"Which bit?"

"Does it matter?"

"Hell yes. My imagination is doing back flips already.'

There was a very familiar huff. "I don't want them left down here. It's…weird"

Han waggled his eyebrows. "Nah – just kinky. I like it. "

"Han! How would you like to know your... personal effects… were somewhere down here for future generations to discover - actually, don't answer that."

She was blushing! Han's smile widened with fondness. How could she be so adorably shy after everything they had just shared and done to one another? His paradoxical princess.

"Tell you what. I'll make it my mission to come down and scour the entire cargo hold with a torch and recover your … personal effects later. Deal?"

"My hero."

He captured her hand and gallantly kissed the top of it. "Anything for my Princess."

Leia swallowed a giggle. He loved that giggle.

_Yep – got it bad. _

"Okay. Chewie should be in the galley by now. We might be able to sneak past him."

He led her back down the access corridor and up to the light. Had it only been a few hours ago that his whole life had changed?

Pushing himself up with the nearest foot-cavity, he reached a hand back down to help her. Leia was more than capable of assisting herself but he had a primal need to keep touching her and maintain contact

"Where exactly are we going Captain?"

"Why to bed of course Princess. You've had a big day."

"I'd say we both have."

As Han easily straddled a booted leg over a large pipe he glanced back down and noticed her checking him out. He slowed down to give her more of a show. Just to make sure she got her money's worth.

Assuming a casually rakish pose he drawled, "Is that an invitation Your Royal Highness?"

"Are you saying you now require one Captain Solo?"

_How did she get so good at the witty and suggestive repartee so quickly? Bad influence. _

He answered her with a lazy wink and reached down and tugged her up so she was level with him.

Heaving himself up to sit on the edge of the cargo hold opening, Han marveled and how carefree they were both behaving. They still had half the Empire on their tail, it had been ages since there was any form of contact with the Alliance and despite their best efforts, the hyperdrive system had long ago curled up, died and fossilized back on Hoth.

Han swiftly inspected the space around the hold, looking for a sign of his hairy co-pilot. Leia was now standing in between his legs, her hands resting on his thighs. He tipped his head forward and pressed a doting kiss just below her ear, drew back and put a finger to his lips. Eyes naughty, lips tugging upward. Then silently, he pulled them both to their feet.

He didn't bother to try to understand why he felt the need for all this secrecy accept… maybe he wanted to protect this little bubble of closeness they had created from outside forces for just a moment longer.

Chewie wouldn't give a damn, but Leia had inadvertently revealed that, despite multiple acts of mind-blowing intimacy, she was still a little wary. New to this. Hell, so was he, but he'd never been so sure of what he felt for Leia. He wanted to solidify what had happened and what was still unwinding between them. He wanted her to be sure of them before they shared it with anyone. He wanted to tell her he loved her first.

Then again, maybe it was because it was far more fun to sneak around.

Making their way through the Falcon, both tiptoeing on the balls of their feet, holding hands, they caught each others eye and were suddenly equally amused at their quite absurd adolescent antics. Their heroic escape from Death Star had nothing on this.

As they came to the passage that crossed in front of the galley and separated them from his quarters, Han lifted a hand. The universal sign for "Halt! I need to check that a Wookie isn't in the galley first."

Tucking Leia behind him to hide her and with the stealth of a Botham spy he peered half an eyelid around the bulkhead corner. A gigantic walking carpet stared directly back at him.

_Sprung._

A master of sign language with his eyes and expressions, Chewie simply inclined his head to one side in silent communication. "So – you finally did it huh?"

Han gave what he hoped was an imperceptible nod.

"About time." He jerked his head to the bulkhead concealing Leia "She's behind you?"

Another nod. _Yep._

"Not a good time for us to crack open the Correllian brandy and celebrate?"

_Nope. _

With shrug, but also a very badly hidden, overjoyed snigger, Chewie turned his chair to the wall behind him and became riveted with his cup of Caff.

_Guess that's my cue._

Han looked back at Leia. She had both hands over her mouth and was making a valiant attempt not to laugh aloud. He began to suspect a conspiracy.

Not about to accept defeat, he put one hand up against the wall above Leia's head and deliberately crowded her, croaking a finger to come hither.

She stood up on tiptoes and rested her face against the side of his as he whispered "I have plans for you, Sweetheart."

Feathery eyelashes blinked and brushed distractedly against his neck.

"What plans might they be Hotshot?" she murmured back, a finger hooking into the leather of his belt just under the buckle.

"Plans that involve your …personal effects," he crooned, "Or lack of them."

Han felt all the breath instantly leave his lungs as Leia tugged at the belt buckle, nibbled the side of his neck breathed in his scent, sighing, "Hmmm. Hurry up."

After everything they had done with each other it was amazing this tiny moment was so highly charged. It was now apparent he was doomed. He'd never get enough…

_But I'll give it a damn good try. _

And with that last fading thought, Han swept her across the passageway, through the open doorway to his quarters, back into his waiting arms – and devoured his dessert at last.

Hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing!


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is for Mrs ScruffyNerfherder, Nurs3Girl1, Starlockedst and ChocoCherry who very kindly reviewed the previous chapter.**

** Things heat up again from Leia's POV….**

Leia dozed contentedly, too excited and too new to the experience of being with Han to sleep for long. She didn't dare in case she woke up and discovered it was all a wonderful hallucination. A wonderful, very explicit hallucination full of carnal delights, yes, but not one she was familiar with.

A solid, muscular leg was wrapped over her hip, a forearm with a broad hand possessively stretched over her stomach. The other arm was doing an excellent job of make-shift pillow. Leia was cocooned so snugly it was if owner was afraid she'd escape custody

Not without reason. The previous Leia – the one who wouldn't dream of recklessly throwing herself at a rogue who'd shamelessly ravish her in a cargo hold - would have squirmed free and run away by now. But the new Leia had no intention of departing this little haven of soft sheets and bare limbs. She didn't care anymore. And it felt great.

She didn't care that she had completely lost all track of time once she hit Han's bed and had exactly zero quality sleep. She didn't care that for the first time, she had no idea what was going on outside his quarters, outside the Falcon - hell what the Rebel Alliance, Empire and entire galaxy was up to right now. That could wait. She was too damned happy, thank you very much.

For once, she was putting her needs first. And Han, proving worthy of every one of his bragging rights, had satisfied them, over and over again. You had to give the man his due; he was a spectacularly generous and highly skilled lover. And she was in love with him.

Leia had been with a few men in the past, very discretely and rather briefly. No, not exactly men: polite boys, who respected her rank far too much. It stood in the way like an invisible barrier. Sleeping with them was more out of curiosity and it was benignly…. nice, but not worth pursuing. If anything, left her feeling vaguely disconnected and depressed. She couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Figuring she just wasn't cut out for an intimate relationship, Leia focused everything on her political work.

Then she met Han Solo over blaster shots in a Death Star Detention Block. Everything to do with this man (NOT polite boy) from the very beginning, was most definitely not 'nice.' It was turbulent havoc and very, very exciting.

Looking back to those tumultuous days, she had quite understandably, thought that openly loving him would be riddled with angst. Maybe this was why she resisted his casual overtures for so long? Presuming she would be constantly pushing away or ignoring doubts and regrets once she capitulated. As if she had to give in or lose a part of herself to be with him.

Instead, Leia felt as if she had evolved. She had never laughed so much or felt so light-hearted. Sadly, even as a child. It wasn't just about the physical part. While that was a huge (highly enjoyable) percentage of what made them right for each other, it was the connection that grew in leaps and bounds once they both admitted they wanted each other, that made it so right. Now she understood first hand 'What all the fuss was about.' It was all-encompassing and all-consuming. She kept wanting more. The Jedi Council had the right idea with their 'No Relationships' and 'Remain Celibate' rules. If everyone felt like she did when she was with Han, nothing would get done.

He gave her the gift of just being himself and expecting her to do the same. There was an idyllic honesty and freedom in that and she felt safe but in control. Han epitomised the meaning of living in the moment. Enjoying the now. And Leia was determined to do just that. For now.

_This is way I was meant to be. _

No matter what lay ahead or how much time they had together, Han was her mate in every sense of the word. A partner, a friend and lover. While he was the most virile and insatiable of lovers, he was also undeniably playful and didn't take himself or what they did when they loved too seriously.

Leia smiled at a highly amusing recollection of their first time in the cargo hold.

Han was attempting to remove one of his boots in the confined space. Leaning back against the bulkhead in frantic frustration, he grabbed it both hands and gave an almighty heave. It suddenly slipped free and the momentum made him fall roughly to the floor, wincing as his boot bounced sharply off his chin. As Leia supressed her mirth, he shook the shock off and recovered his poise quickly, flashing her his trademark grin.

"Well, that's not the first time I've put my foot in mouth." Upping the sexy stakes and pointing to his injury, he then seductively murmured, "Kiss it better, Baby?"

After their reconnaissance mission to sneak to his quarter's unseen, she had scarcely shut the door behind her before he pressed her against it, arms resting at both sides of her head, his eyes heatedly drilling into hers.

Fire instantaneously shot into all the glorious places that made her feel womanly and sexy. From the tips of her breasts, to the pit of her stomach and lower. To the places he had already dexterously claimed as his own with hands, mouth and tongue. He could do this just by looking at her. And he looked at her as if she was the most imperative, most beautiful thing in the world.

Then his expression changed. Not in intensity, if anything it increased. But his eyes were suddenly tender, loving.

Irrationally, Leia felt instantly vulnerable. It was just Han, but years of studying body and facial language to gain the upper hand politically, immediately told her he was about to say something that couldn't be undone. So much had changed already, but Leia steadied herself and waited. No more holding back. No more fear.

Han paused and scrutinized her expression. He frowned ever so slightly at what he read and backed off slightly. Apparently deciding to drop it, he cryptically murmured, "Okay…later."

Leia felt somewhat chagrined with herself. She had discouraged him somehow. She wanted to ask him what he meant by 'Later' but was quickly distracted by his busy hands. He was popping the buttons of her shirt apart with one hand, and the other was curling under a thigh and hitching it up around his hip. If she hadn't just seen evidence to the contrary, Leia would think Han had a one-track mind. Not that she was complaining. He leaned in intently and sealed the deal with a deep and searing kiss. Things, as always between them, were heating up rapidly.

With a grunt, Han pushed with his hips against her core intently, thoroughly kissing her neck and then over the soft roundness of her breasts, while caressing her with maddening soft circles. He took greedy delight in revealing the prize of every patch of skin, sliding her clothes off, relishing how she in return urgently stripped him bare, driving gasps from them both.

Turning swiftly away from the door and shuffling her backwards, he cupped a hand around the back of her head for protection and Leia felt herself falling as they landed on the bed with a soft thump, momentarily taking the wind out of her. But Han never missed a beat.

There, on his unmade bed, he was relentless in making her forget everything but him. Leia had found it challenging just to coordinate her thinking and limbs as she sunk into blissful surrender yet again. She had tried to take the upper hand, give as well as take, several times now, but it was useless. Han was engrossed with her pleasure and hers alone. And she gloried in it.

Later, when he had exhausted himself, she planned to explore, put him into her power and make it all about his total gratification. But this moment, as all the others before, was like a torrid wave of decadent sensuality. All she could do was hold on and ride it to completion.

When he drove them both to release with a guttural roar and then long, low shudder he somehow found enough energy to sit back on his knees and gather her up. Enfolding her against his chest like a limp bundle, he placed her head to rest on his shoulder, kissing her damp brow and stroking her back soothingly.

They both spent several minutes drawing long, deep breaths together and absorbing the celebration of another wonderful joining.

The few times Leia had been with a man, she always found the after conversation rather awkward. Just what did one say? 'Thank you?' Trite. 'That was good,' sounded like a performance assessment - and was not always the truth. 'I have to get back to work,' was the usual fall back for Leia. But Han wasn't into after talk. He actually liked the silence and he didn't show a smidgen of awkwardness in letting it ride. Typical.

With one last lingering kiss, Han sighed and pushed a hand into the hair at the nape of her neck, tilting her head deftly but firmly so she was looking directly into him. He gazed at her for a long moment in the peace, his soul swimming in his eyes. Beautiful. Then he smiled ever so slightly. And whispered…

"Leia… I love you."

She felt her heart momentarily stop and her breath catch tightly.

_Oh…_

His countenance was mirroring exactly how he said it. Quiet and soft.

It wasn't said defiantly, or reluctantly or with a trace of anything but love. It was another gift and he gave it expecting nothing in return.

_He loves me. _

Overawed that Han had exposed his heart so freely, words failed Leia yet again.

On the verge of tears, she threw her arms around as much of him as she could and kissed him with all her love and passion and adoration.

She could not tell this superb man that she loved him in return just yet. It had to be done on different terms or he might think she had said it back under duress. She would give him her own gift by finding the right time and making it count. For it to stand-alone. Han would understand why. With another touching pang, she realised she knew him so well now.

They held one another for a long time. Not talking, just resting and being together. Eyes at times, catching and smiling. Light and playful touches. It was the most perfect conundrum of calm, excitement and joy. Then Han curled her close to his body, kissed her cheek and they both slept.

Hours later, Leia was now attempting to slowly untangle herself but it was difficult without waking him. In the end he instinctively turned over and she slipped free. She needed a glass of water and maybe something to eat.

In the fresher mirror Leia's reflection stared back at her. Hair was a mess, cheeks displayed a rosy hue from Han's numerous ministrations, lips looked slightly swollen and _oh my…. is that a love bite? I have a love bite! _

Leia Organa: Powerful Former Senator, Royal Princess of Alderaan, Rebel Alliance Leader; felt ludicrously proud as punch that she could now (belatedly) tick off this rite of passage.

After running a comb through her hair, she re-entered the room and stopped at the vision presented in front of her: Han lying nude, sprawled out across the bed, a corner of the sheet trailing dangerously low over his hips. Ripples of sleek skin covering sinewy, flexible muscles were on display for her eyes alone to see. He was the embodiment of a man thoroughly spent, after hours of exquisite lovemaking. Leia felt her mouth go dry at the sight.

_Gods. You'd think I'd be at least a tiny bit immune by now…_

Han stretched out an arm and crept a hand out across the bed. The sheet slipped a tad further and Leia felt the familiar heat regrouping.

"Honey…is it just my imagination or are you a long, long way away from me right now?" His lazy, hazy tone, muffled by his face half buried in the pillow, washed over her.

From her vantage point, Leia replied thickly, "I'm here."

"Too far." He performed a magnificently languid stretch. "Get back here."

"You gave me a love bite."

"That's not all I gave you."

"It's purple."

"I aim to please."

"Wanna know what I'm thinking right now?"

"Hmmm?"

"That man has a classic case of post-consummation coma."

He cracked an eyelid open and gave her a watery smirk.

"Not my fault. A wild and wanton woman kept waking me up with constant demands for my body and sexual services,"he lazily drawled. "C'mere."

As Leia irresistibly took a step towards him, his hand shot out and wrapped brazenly around the back of her thigh, drawing her towards him until she rested her knees up on the mattress. Now wide-awake, he turned onto his back and sitting up against the headboard, pulled her to sit snugly across his lap.

Gliding the tip of his fingers up and down her thigh, he smiled down at her tucked against him. "Hello."

"Hello." She kissed his slightly rough chin. Post coitus Han was sweet and rumpled. She wanted to dip into him with a spoon.

He moved her long hair away from her neck and wrapped it around a fist.

"So where is this supposed love bite huh?"

She pointed to a very obvious smudge of blue and red. "Call that supposed?"

"Well, well. Would you look at that little guy?" He gave her a very pleased wink. "You know, they call it a love bite for a reason?"

"Do they?"

"Yeah." Another slow smile.

He lifted one of her hands up to his lips and ran the tip of his tongue along the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist, watching her reaction closely. When she shivered, he dove down and tongued over the slightly stinging bite now throbbing at the base of her neck. Reclaiming his territory. Leia felt her head tip back and an airy moan escape. Something as simple as a flick of his tongue was enough to put her completely into his power.

"That's my girl. Hmm…. You like that, huh?

Somehow, her eyes had closed and she found herself sinking back into the sheets, with Han immediately and intimately settling himself on top. His warmth and masculine aroma surrounding her as his hands commenced another breath-taking dance.

"Well Sweetheart… if you liked that…you're going to love this."

**If you enjoyed reading this (or didn't) please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Too many this time to list personally - but thanks again for all the lovely reviews! I started this story with a one-shot in mind, but they have really encouraged and inspired me to keep writing and expanding Han and Leia's frontier…so to speak**.

**Chapter 5: Han gets all inwardly perspective. **

**Here we go again… _**

Han woke with a jolt and blinked wearily in the yellow glow of the lights in the control panel. He had obviously dropped off again manning the Falcon. Thanks to his…extra curricular activities aboard the Falcon, he hadn't had much sleep lately and took to dozing during his shift, relying on the warning system to wake him if need be. He'd been dreaming of Tatooine again.

Tatooine. That hazy brown ball of dust and distant memories. A life now long gone. But the blinding heat, sweat soaked clothes and grime, the scum that walked the streets and fed off misery, could never truly be forgotten. He had been part of that. Dreams had an odd way of bringing the past back to haunt.

Within the humming solitude of the cockpit, Han rubbed his grainy eyes and thought back with grim humour to that time when he lived without a care or fleeting thought for anyone but himself. It had suited him. If he didn't care, he had nothing to lose. He lived a life that was a study of detachment. No responsibility, no commitments. Nothing but his ship and the perpetual pursuit of pleasure. Be it swindling, credits or women. Especially women.

Han liked women. He liked them tough and gung-ho. He liked them sweet and demure. He liked them dirty and mean. All of them. And they liked him. He quickly learned how to seduce, please and leave because it entertained him playing the conqueror. Cocky but always in control. Across all aspects of his life for that matter. If he wanted it – he got it by any means possible. It was as simple as that. Women included.

Not this one.

After she fell into an exhausted sleep in his bed, Han had drifted his gaze down to the woman in his arms. This one was different. He loved this one. With every cell in his body. And he'd worked hard to earn her. Everything that he thought was so stupidly important to him, was stripped away and replaced by this small female human being, curled up and around him.

Leia. She may as well have curled herself up into his heart and taken permanent residence. It almost frightened him how much power she now had over him. Almost. He had given her everything and laid himself bare. But for the first time in his miserable excuse for his life Han felt…home.

He had actually said the words and she didn't run. They were words he had never uttered to any living being before. They hadn't once crossed his lips because he had never known love. He knew grudging affection, he knew friendship for mutual benefits but this love stuff? This was something different altogether. His newly acquired insight understood it had little to do with reciprocation: he would love Leia no matter what she felt for him in return, but love him she did. He was certain. She had said with her tears, her body and her kisses. Most of all, she said it with her eyes.

_To Love. What a strange thing. _

How long? How long had he loved Leia?

Reflecting over the past 3 years or so, Han smiled fondly recalling the first time he laid eyes on her. He was a little distracted by the endless wave of storm troopers and blaster shots bombarding him in the detention block to properly check out the recently freed occupant of Cell 2187. But even then, his interest was definitely piqued.

She was tiny, but even swathed under all that white fabric, still noticeably feminine. Exuding an energy and spark that instinctively recognised and connected with his. Her cool head countering with sassy sarcasm, shot back his barbs effortlessly. Dark eyes full of intelligence and wit, looked oddly out-of-place with her youthful complexion and kissable lips.

For someone who had immediate Imperial execution impending, she had artfully brushed it off as soon as she stepped out of her cell and into the carnage. She immediately took charge and expected to be obeyed. It was…sexy but disconcerting.

Yep, from the start Han could say he was pretty much a goner. The cosmos must have aligned and deigned to bestow him a mate. His match. But it took him years to admit it. Years to go about it the right way. Years to grow up.

She refused to be seduced. At first, Han didn't think twice in employing his usual tried and trusty game plan and bag of flirty tricks. Laying it on thick. Automatically activating his plethora of cheeky winks, smirks and swaggers. Crowding her personal space and assuming she liked it.

Hey, she was a classy babe right? It would be fun not to slum it for once. But Leia, although definitely curious in a flustered and forcefully dismissive way, was actually immune to his charms. Shrugging off, sometimes ridiculing all his advances. She really didn't want him. Not that way. Not on his terms.

She had instantly seen right through him and it secretly shook him to the core. For the first time he felt…fake. No woman was worse off for sleeping with him and no woman had ever knocked him back. But this one did. At first he thought it was because she was too full of princessy pride and priggishness. Too conscious of her status and appearance to rough it with a space pirate.

But the honest part of Han knew this wasn't the case. She wasn't a prude. She was worth more. She knew this and she had her reasons. So, surreptitiously, Han went on reconnaissance. Just for future reference, he reasoned. Who was this woman who had the gall and resistance to turn him down?

It didn't take long. He instinctively knew that Leia Organa was a warm and giving woman. The way she lit up around Luke's boyish enthusiasm for living life on the edge and responded to Chewie's openly affectionate regard was evidence enough. However, her concern, private personal grief and strident self-inflicted responsibility for every injured fighter, every fatality, was above and beyond.

With a sinking sense of unfamiliar shame, he soon realized she worked to the bone and always put herself last. Toiling late into her designated sleep cycle, hunched over logistics, organizing endless drills, forgetting to eat. Looking paler and thinner as the Empire closed in.

She'd had such a struggle - was still struggling - yet retained a thin and unwavering core of strength that almost awed him. She gave all of herself. Her time, her youth, her innocence. And she never once cracked. Because she truly cared. She was ferociously independent and one of the bravest most stubborn human beings he'd ever meet. In short, her own worst enemy.

The woman needed loving, Han concluded. Lots of it. In every possible way. By someone who actually cared for and understood the person underneath the veneer. Someone who could take her away from herself, tapping into and nurturing the part that had yet to be awakened. She was so captivatingly ripe. So intricately beautiful. And it was a crying shame that she hadn't been loved, _really_ loved before.

He could tell. He could tell by the way the men around her treated her. They revered her and they respected her. They looked to her as an answer and a leader. There was a reason he nicknamed her 'Your Worship'. That's exactly what they did. Worship. Completely oblivious to the fact that there was a lovely young woman standing right in front of them who needed to laugh and cry and be held from time to time just like every other woman. Idiots.

The more Han thought about it, the more he didn't like the thought of anyone but himself being that idiot. Most disturbingly, not for his own gratification. For hers. To see her freely reveal the girl he had discerned was just under the surface. The one he only caught glimpses of when the façade slipped and she was unaware. Just making the sides of her lips curl up with a smothered laugh or grin when he slipped her a sly remark was enough to make his day.

Yep, reflected Han, by the time he caught himself half way in, he was downright gone. But this wasn't some fly by rendezvous. No sir. This was some serious bantha shit. A smuggler and former Senator and Princess from Alderaan. Who'd have thought? _Good one Solo!_

But he'd be damned if he was going to do something about it until she met him at least half way first. She was unquestionably interested or she wouldn't have bothered to retaliate with such zeal when he provoked her. Their legendary bouts in the command center had almost resulted in things being thrown on more than one occasion. It amused Han when he noticed no one stooped to intervene or rein him in. This was obviously considered 'Non-Rebel Alliance Business.' Personal. Just between them. He liked that.

Once, during a particularly diverting shouting match, they both stopped mid-insult and looked round, finally realizing they had cleared the room. The door and resulting silence shutting them in was unnerving. Without an audience it was all the more real and Han severely tempted to just grab her and kiss her.

Looking down upon her, attacking him in full flight, she was an irresistible and bewitching enticement. Her short sharp breaths made her breasts rise and fall as small fists clenched tightly on her hips. Eyes flashing sparks with barely restrained fury and vitality. Milky white cheeks flushed with exertion, berry red lips unconsciously pouting as she strived to find the words to strike back, were hell on his libido and hard on his… blaster belt.

Funny how people falling in love are sometimes the last to know.

They fought in jest - mostly on his behalf. Never vicious but always honest. Maybe a bit too brutally he conceded. But they both respected and demanded that from one another. And it was good for her to get angry. Sometimes she was so damned diplomatic it was a wonder the woman didn't burst a blood vessel. Anger was unresolved grief and Leia had endured and survived four lifetimes worth, losing everything and more close to her.

So, she was interested, just not enough to do something about it. Even when he shoved it in her face while they stood in the icy corridor the last time he tried and failed yet again to leave Hoth. Funny that. No matter how many times he was about to set off, something held him back. After awhile he knew he was kidding himself. He found ways to stay.

So Han patiently waited. And waited not so patiently. Stirring her up to help them both let off steam. Volunteering for jobs that he knew, she knew he could do with skill and not have to check up on. Craftily intervening on the sly to make sure she delegated without knowing it. Amongst the Alliance, Han found himself in the unusual position of being well liked, even respected. He had learned how to talk people into things without his usual sly subterfuge.

Before he could stop and think, he had gotten himself into a routine of raising his hand for, among other things, covert supply runs and leading patrols. While shrewdly avoiding officially signing up, he slowly became something better and wiser than a mercenary loner with a Wookie as his only companion. It made him feel uneasy, this helping business, but in a good way.

She was right of course. He was 'More than about the money.' She forced him to see that. She had held a mirror up and shown him to himself. And now he could look back and feel worthy.

Being the consummate gambler that he was, Han had never been so glad that he took such a huge risk in that cargo hold. It could have backfired just as easily. But that first tentative kiss told him it was time. They wanted each other but she had to take a leap and trust him. Thank gods it had paid off handsomely. She was now inextricably tethered to him and he to her. They hadn't talked about Jabba. There was a silent agreement that the time they had now was simply about being together. Getting to know each other and exploring a different kind of fireworks.

Han stirred in his chair, rousing himself after being lost in his musings yet again. Leia also gave that gift. She made him look inwardly.

His love.

Like dull punch to his gut, he had a sudden and compelling urge to find her and touch her again. Make his thoughts tangible and affirm that this all wasn't just one long, glorious daydream.

She was working somewhere on the Falcon. She enjoyed manual labor just as much he did. Using her hands instead of negotiation to solve mechanical glitches that didn't answer back or have feelings. The satisfaction of a job well done.

Han stood swiftly and stretched. They were closing in fast towards Bespin. Very soon this little oasis of sleep, love and work would be over. He would go to her. He would show her again how much he loved her. Before things would change.

Biting his bottom lip with anticipation and hesitating only momentarily to flick a few switches on the panel in front of him, Han stalked through the winding corridors of his ship. His home. Searching for his woman. The thrill of his impulsive and primordial intent was building with every step. He stopped at the cargo hold and heard the spark of the welder doing its job. How apt. She was working where this all began.

Slipping down silently through the multitude of pipes and bulkhead braces, Han felt his heart beating strongly as he scanned the darkness and set eyes on her.

Her back was to him, bent over in concentration. After one last spark of the welder, she dropped the eye protection mask and checked her work, a petite hand wrapping around a pipe to keep herself steady while rising up on tiptoe to check over the back of the console, her delicate profile and lips pursued daintily during inspection. Long hair pull back into a messy bun. So beautiful. Han felt his blood heating just watching her. He could watch her for years, touch her for years and never tire.

He roved his eyes over her form. Gods he loved her body. He loved it in his bed, in his galley, in his cargo hold and most of all, up against, wrapped around and under his. And he loved the person it contained. Fiercely. If anyone even tried to hurt her, he'd blast them to smithereens and ask questions later. He was astounded at the force of how much he wanted to protect her, make her his again.

Still, Han paused to muse, he couldn't play all his cards straight away.

"So, this is where you've been hiding hey?"

Leia jumped slightly and turned around. He was rewarded with sultry smile.

"Did you want something Captain?"

Feigning ignorance at the twinkle that must have been in his eye, she held his gaze a moment longer than necessary and slowly turned back to the console and her work. Ignoring him!

With start, Han realised it was an echo of their first kiss. This time however, they both knew exactly where it was going and how it would end. But that didn't make it an iota any less exciting.

Moving up intimately behind her, Han rested a hand above her head and leaned in, breathing the sweet tang of her essence. Bending slowly and barely touching the delicious skin and tiny hairs that feathered along the elegant curve of her neck with his lips he whispered,

"I can think of a few things."

"What things?" Although her reply was steady, her enchanting tremor let him know she was just as affected.

He slid both hands around her waist from behind and pulled her back to rest against his chest, his arms surrounding her, hands holding them firmly in place, teeth nibbling on the shell of her ear, just where she liked it.

"How about this?" He rocked her gently to and fro. Letting her feel his pounding heart and mounting excitement.

As her head automatically tipped back against his shoulder, she sighed as they rocked,

"What about Bespin? We must be close…"

"Hmmm?"

He felt the ache grow hotter and harder as he plunged hands under her shirt and stroked the fine soft skin and curves now arching into them. Her breath sucking in sharply with his at the sensation. Gods what this woman did to him.

"Shouldn't we… ummm… oh, yes right there….be getting… ready to dock soon?"

His lips were now assaulting her neck with warm, wet hungry bites and kisses. His body was aching intensely, now in overdrive, pulsing for her as he pushed against her.

"Chewie will take over soon." More urgent kisses. "It's called… auto pilot for a reason."

His hands were tracing everywhere, possessing, seducing and treasuring. His foot neatly parted her legs, forearms encircling and hitching her up by the hips to rub against the evidence of his need for her.

"But…_oh_….".

"Come on darling. It's my chance before you meet another scoundrel."

He smiled victoriously as he felt the last thread of her half-hearted resistance fall away. Initial sparks of desire had now flared up and erupted as they submitted to this relentless and voracious need.

With Leia still facing away from him, Han gently lifted her and sank them both to his knees. Skilfully placing her feet on either side of his hips so that her backside pressed firmly in his lap, he hurriedly grabbed her wrists with one hand while keeping her as close as possible with the other and dexterously looped them around the back of her head. Her torso was now gracefully curving back like a bow for his pleasure and perusal. He wanted her naked. Now. Han felt for the gap of her shirt, ripping a few buttons off in his haste as he roughly parted it, adoring the way her heavy breathing and gasps matched his own.

Suddenly, she wrenched herself up and away, turning around to face him and creating a monumental chasm between them.

"Wait."

That old creeping doubt crawled back under his skin. There in front of him a classic 'Her Royal Highness' look that he hadn't observed in a while. The 'I Want' look. One of gritty determination and stalwart stubbornness. Han swallowed nervously.

"What?"

In the darkness her eyes had taken on an arresting feline quality. Like his, her breathing was still labored with unleashed passion as she fought for restraint.

"This is the last time before Bespin?"

"Yeah?"

He felt a wave of sheer relief wash over him as a devilish smile played over her face. Then his gut fell out from underneath him as she watched him watch her slowly shed her shirt, let the long sheath of her hair tumble down and crawl on all fours towards him before kissing him like she knew all his secrets. Which she did.

After teasingly pulling her luscious lips away, she lifted a hand and pushed him back until he was reclining on his forearms, gazing at her in bemused adulation and unbridled curiosity. As she dipped her head and distractingly kissed the base of his neck, behind his ear, across his eyebrow, she made his jaw drop even further as she purred,

"Well flyboy. Since we're back in the cargo hold…I believe it's high time you get some tender loving care."

She cleverly retraced her path, flicking her tongue against all the places she had just discovered

"Hmmm? Don't you?" She purred again.

_Can't talk. Brain gone._

All he could do was gape at her in wonder and pure lust as Leia smirked in triumph.

_Atta girl! _

Of course she would turn the tables on him! As she settled herself on top off him, wriggling and distracting in nicest way possible, proceeding to focus all her attention to opening his shirt and kissing over every part of him, he forced himself to process that this WAS real. This was his reality. He was crazy in love with a princess who had turned his life upside down, inside out, back to front and made everything before he met her meaningless. Dust.

He had won this wonderful woman. She was his…she had always been his, from the moment she stepped out of her cell and into his world. And she was now doing wicked things he'd only dreamed about her doing.

_Oh gods…she's amazing._ _Oh my love. My darling…._

Somewhere, somehow he'd done something right to deserve her. Han had never considered himself spiritual. But just before he slipped into the endless bliss of becoming one with Leia again, he uttered a silent and ever-binding vow…

_Thank you. _

**If you enjoyed reading this, please drop me a line or two.**


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